John Hancock Preferred Income Fund III (NYSE:HPS) Short Interest Update

John Hancock Preferred Income Fund III (NYSE:HPS) was the recipient of a significant drop in short interest in December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totaling 58,336 shares, a drop of 58.6% from the November 30th total of 140,914 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 85,659 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.7 days. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 85,659 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.7 days.

John Hancock Preferred Income Fund III Price Performance

Shares of NYSE HPS traded up $0.01 during trading on Friday, hitting $14.45. The company had a trading volume of 78,989 shares, compared to its average volume of 65,732. John Hancock Preferred Income Fund III has a 52 week low of $13.08 and a 52 week high of $15.68. The business’s 50-day moving average is $14.94 and its 200 day moving average is $14.80.

John Hancock Preferred Income Fund III Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 11th will be given a dividend of $0.11 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 11th. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 9.1%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On John Hancock Preferred Income Fund III

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. UBS Group AG increased its position in shares of John Hancock Preferred Income Fund III by 10.8% in the third quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 1,141,593 shares of the company’s stock worth $17,626,000 after acquiring an additional 111,560 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. raised its position in John Hancock Preferred Income Fund III by 13.7% during the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 268,253 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,142,000 after buying an additional 32,293 shares during the period. Guggenheim Capital LLC lifted its stake in John Hancock Preferred Income Fund III by 55.8% in the 2nd quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC now owns 175,335 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,500,000 after acquiring an additional 62,819 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its position in John Hancock Preferred Income Fund III by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 147,907 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,284,000 after acquiring an additional 898 shares during the period. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its position in John Hancock Preferred Income Fund III by 3.6% during the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 142,701 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,203,000 after acquiring an additional 4,993 shares during the period.

About John Hancock Preferred Income Fund III

John Hancock Preferred Income Fund III (NYSE:HPS) is a publicly traded, closed-end management investment company that seeks to provide a high level of current income. The fund offers investors access to a diversified portfolio of income-producing securities, with a primary focus on preferred stocks and similar instruments. As a closed-end fund, HPS issues a fixed number of shares that trade on the New York Stock Exchange, allowing investors to participate in its income strategy through the open market.

The fund pursues its objective by investing primarily in preferred securities of U.S.